One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of determining when you can plant purslane is to consult the USDA zone info for La Junta.

Planting Calendar for Purslane

Frost tolerance for purslane:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since purslane are barely cold tolerant you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant purslane in La Junta is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant purslane and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your purslane may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your purslane indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in La Junta. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for La Junta may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in La Junta you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your purslane if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for La Junta

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in La Junta

You may be interested in your other planting guides for La Junta.